The draft of an independent investigation that came on the heels of community support for Easton Area High School’s head wrestling coach has been submitted to the district’s solicitor.

The draft of the report, which solicitor John Freund said he received Tuesday, is the result of a district-ordered investigation into events that began at the PIAA Wrestling Championships on March 10 in Derry Township, Dauphin County.

There, members of the Easton branch of the NAACP allege, head wrestling coach JaMarr Billman was choked and called a racial epithet by the grandfather of a wrestler who didn’t make weight.

Over the course of the following week, Billman was told his and his staff’s contracts would not be renewed.

The district reversed course two days later — after students protested and Billman, flanked by two former school board presidents, met with Superintendent John Reinhart and chief operating officer Michael Simonetta.

Billman’s contract was formally renewed last month.

The district’s handling of the incident has rankled some members of the wrestling community and the Easton branch of the NAACP.

They’ve been attending school board meetings and offering public comment on the matter, saying Billman wasn’t treated fairly and that administrators involved need to be held accountable.

Attorneys Doug Steinhardt and Lester Taylor of the Phillipsburg-based firm Florio Perrucci Steinhardt and Cappelli, LLC did the investigation.

Taylor said they looked into procedural, personnel and other issues stemming from the March 10 incident. Steinhardt said they were charged with creating a timeline and making recommendations.

Steinhardt and Taylor said more than a dozen people were interviewed.

Steinhardt said he expected to get the final report to Freund on Thursday.

Taylor said Freund played no role in the investigation other than acting as general counsel for the district and helping Taylor and Steinhardt get access to information and employees. Some of the interviews also took place in his office.

During public comment, Sandra Joyce said she hopes the investigation brings clarity to the situation. She has a daughter and four sons, one of whom was a wrestler who graduated last year.

“There is a clear visual that if you are black or brown, you are dispensable, and the treatment of coach Billman among his peers shows this is still a practice at Easton Area High,” she said.

She said she doesn’t want her children to be looked at as dispensable.

“There is a clear visual that if you are black or brown, you are dispensable."— Sandra Joyce, parent

“The only way this will happen is if there is a change among those in charge and due process is implemented by staff members.”

Jonathan Pineda, a senior and wrestler who has rallied behind Billman, said he was interviewed last week by an attorney based out of Phillipsburg as part of the investigation. He is one of a few people who saw the altercation in Derry Township.

He said he felt like he was being listened to, but he’s disappointed that it took the district a month to start an investigation in the first place.